There is No Bond Stronger Than That of a Friend
by thegreeneyed-doe
Summary: Pairing: Katie Bell and Susan Bones Prompt: Katie Bell is yet again in St. Mungos, due to touching a cursed artifact. They're afraid she might not wake up this time.


_Miss Susan Amelia Bones,_

_It is our unfortunate displeasure to inform you that Katie Bell was checked into St. Mungos this evening after coming in contact with cursed diadem. You are listed under her emergency contacts, she is in the critical care wing of the hospital, please come at your soonest leisure, time is of the essence._

_General Healer,  
Madam Sibelle_

Susans hand quickly raced to cover her gaped open mouth. Not again, no, not again, not now, she needed Katie now more than ever, having just gotten out on Mungos herself, after trying to end her life. She held in her tears as she flooed to Mungos.

"Katie Bells room," she said, her voice panicked and contorted in pain and fear. The lady behind the desk looked concerned, but pointed Susan in the right direction all the same. She skid to a stop in front of Katies room, taking a deep breath in, before slowly turning the door knob, trying to brace herself for what she was about to see. Behind the door was a sleeping beauty, her blonde curls messy and unorganized, her face… somehow peaceful in its beauty even after what its been through.

The sight was familiar, Susan was used to seeing Katie in a hospital bed, she had a habit of getting herself into trouble. Only once though had Katie been in a condition such as this before and it was a miracle she lived even lived, that time. Susan sat down beside her, placing one hand over her forehead, pushing the hair away from her face. Katie had always been such a beauty strong woman, stronger than Susan ever was. Katie would pull through this, in the end, Katie always came through in the end. Susan had to remind herself of that as she saw her best friend laying there, defenseless, not in control of her fate. How many friends can you loose in one lifetime?

Susan had began to wonder why Malcolm wasn't there, she had been there for hours and so far no sight of him. Katie and Malcolm had gotten married recently, the hospital had even let Susan out for a day so she could be Katies Maid of Honor. Malcolm had never been good with loss though, so not seeing him, in reality, wasn't much of a surprise at all.

When Susan regained conscientiousness, the room was filled with chaos and the healers were pushing Susan away from Katies bed. The sound consistent in the room, a solid beep, that would mean that Katies heart had stop beating. "Susan! Susan!" someone shook her, as she looked dazed and confused all around the room. "Susan!" she snapped out of it, looking forward now at the man, she could see that is was Justin, her own husband. "Its going to be okay, but you need to get out of the way, love," he said, moving her to the back of the room, before going back to work.

Susan stared straight forward, her reality, wasn't reality at all. She was a seer and Susan couldn't find Katies path anymore, it was erased from her mind. Like Katie had just disappeared from all reality. Then suddenly, she was aware, she knew Katie wasn't going to make it. They could poke her with all the wands they wanted to and put her on any machine, but Katie was gone. And Susan wasn't sure where her path would go when Katie wasn't beside her anymore. Susan eyes found the green flat line on the machines screen, its noise taunting her. She wished for silence, for numbness. She prayed for sleep, she wanted to sleep, until it didn't hurt anymore.

Time was a funny thing, you never seemed to have enough of it with the people you loved. And time had certainly run out.

Susans eyes stayed locked on it, even long after the healer had given up. "Its time to say goodbye," Justin whispered in her ear, "go on." Susan inched slowly towards the bed, how do you say goodbye, when you have barely said hello?

Susan inced onto the bed beside Katie, her head rested on what was now a lifeless chest. She could hear no heart beat against her ear, just an eerie silence. Susan wasn't aware of when the tears began to flow, but they ran like a river, as Susan thought back on ever cherished memory she shared with her best friend.

How Katie beat up anyone who dared put their hand on Susan during school, how even during the war, Susan felt safe by Katies side. Katie had gotten Susan through everything, she was like, the big sister Susan had always wanted. She was the last family member Susan had.

And when Susan couldn't bare tarnish all her good memories with Katie, with this bad one, she began to speak. In the dark room, all alone, Susan spoke only to Katie, sure that somehow, in this magical word, Katie could hear her some how. So she talked about how much she would missed her and thanked her for everything, swearing that life with Katie, was hardly a life at all, not even a life she could picture in her mind, it ached so much.

When Susan got past the thank yous and I'm sorrys, she talked of love. She took Katie limp hand and placed it over her belly, "you know whats in there?" she said, heaving in breaths, "a baby girl. And her name, will be Katie. I'll raise her with all the strength and badassery that you taught me. She'll be the Captain of the Gryffindor Qudditch team and when she smiles, I'll think of you. I'll think of every smiled that you brought to me," she smiled, staring up at the ceiling as if this was just a slumber party and at any moment Katie would punch her in the arm and tell her to stop being such a sap.

"And when the world hands her heart ache, I'll tell her our stories. Our happily ever afters… I'll tell her how no one loved me more than you did and how its completely impossibly for anyone, even Malcolm Baddock to be more in love with you than I am, because no love is stronger, more forgiving, more understanding, than the love of a best friend. I want my daughter to know, that she can have what we have. Because even in your death Katie, you will always be my best friend."

Susan would not say goodbye, she would not say farewell, because as long as she kept Katie in her heart, she would never have to say it. Because one day, they would say hello again. So for now, "I'll see you later then," and with that, Susan closed her eyes, one last tear trickled down her cheek, for the hell like Katie Bell.

She woke early, in her own bed, she looked over to see Justin peacefully sleeping beside her. Then she felt the world crash on her chest, making her gasp out for air, at the subtle realization, that it wasn't Katie she was waking up next to, just as she fell asleep, nor would she ever see that girl again. But there was one way to see her, Susan had done it once before, when Katie was still alive.

She slowly got up from bed and wrapped her cloak around her, leaving nothing but a note for Justin. She didn't travel by floo, broom, or disapparation, she just walked, like she had all the time in the world. When she finally arrived in front of the castle, she didn't hesitate to walk in. As she passed old housemates, old teachers, their looks were sympathetic for the girl with red rimmed eyes.

This was the first time Susan had been in the caslte since the battle and now, in the entrance hall, you could see the face of ever person who fought in the war, on one side was the survivors or the other, the ones who died and as Susan walked down the hall Filtch switched Katies photo to the other wall. Susan only stopped to look at the photograph for one small moment before continuing up the the third floor.

She had heard of the mirror once from Harry and was aware of its current location. It was no longer through a series of obstacles, but it resided in the room where Fluffy once lived.

_"It shows us what we want, whatever we want."_

_"Its shows us nothing more or less than the deepest and most desperate desires of our hearts. This mirror give us neither knowledge or truth, men have wasted away in front of it, even gone mad." _

The words echoed throughout the room as Susan walked up to the mirror. She smiled as she saw Katies laughing reflection beside her, she reached out, to touch her hand to it, but quickly Katie dissolves and Dumbledore replaced her. Her smile fell in disappointment. "Thought I ought to find you hear Miss. Bell," he raised a hand before she could protest him, "I have not come to tell you that there is no use to stand in front of this mirror, you are already well aware, I trust. Instead, I've come to give you a gift. To speak to Katie Bell, really speak to her once more."

"Thats not possible, shes dead, surely you know that," Susan said, confused as to why she could speak to him in the mirror, but not Katie.

He inclined his head, "don't worry about me Susan. In your pocket, you will find the Resurrection Stone, one only needs to turn it thrice in hand, to speak to whom they love. Caution though Susan, as you've heard me say, it does not do well to dwell on dreams and forget to live. Use this stone once, just once and then leave it somewhere where no one, not even you can find it," he smiled, "its time for me to go Susan, use it wisely." With that, he quickly faded, Katies figure quickly replacing him.

One only need to turn it thrice in hand.

_One… Two… Three…_


End file.
